Counting Crows Debut Album ‘August and Everything After’ Turns 30
Happy 30th Anniversary to August and Everything After, the debut studio album by the Counting Crows. It was released on this day, September 14, back in 1993, via Geffen Records.
The legendary Bob Dylan and guitarist T Bone Burnett produced the album. It featured the founding members of the band: Adam Duritz (vocals), David Bryson (guitar), Charlie Gillingham (keyboards), Steve Bowman (drums) and Matt Malley (bass).
Multi-instrumentalist David Immerglück was among the several session musicians used for the album who worked with an early incarnation of the band. He then joined the band as a full-time member in 1999, as well as Burnett, who also provided additional guitar work.
August and Everything After
The album spawned four massive singles for the band including some of their best-known hits. “Mr. Jones” reached the Top 5 on the Billboard charts at its height. Other huge hits included “Round Here,” “Rain King,” and “A Murder of One” were other hits on the album. We still play these songs on MMR all these years later.
August and Everything After was a critical and commercial success, peaking at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It has sold over 10 million copies worldwide since its release. It’s been certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as well.
The album cover depicts handwritten lyrics to a song called “August and Everything After.” However, the band decided to leave the song off the album and ultimately did not release it until 2019.
The Counting Crows released a two-disc deluxe edition of the album featuring six bonus tracks and demos, including an acoustic demo of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” The deluxe release also came with a live show from Paris on December 9, 1994.
In 2011, the Counting Crows released August and Everything After: Live at Town Hall. They recorded it at Town Hall in New York City on September 18, 2007. It features a performance of the band’s debut album in its entirety, cover to cover in the exact track listing order.
The Crows have been on their massive “Banshee Season” tour all summer, which included stops in Atlantic City and Bethlehem. The always bring a fun live performance whenever they are in town.
Happy 30th Anniversary to August and Everything After!